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Many people with autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis suffer from joint pain. In addition to making you miserable, joint pain can interfere with sleep, mobility, and overall quality of life. People with autoimmune disorders have many options for managing their joint pain on their own as well as with the help of a doctor.

One of the most important steps you can take is to find an autoimmune disorder specialist who focuses on your specific disorder. A specialist will be up to date on the most current pain management strategies. “Even though I see people with multiple sclerosis, I also see some people with lupus and people with rheumatoid arthritis, and I feel I can manage their pain or at least attempt to,” says William Shaffer, MD, an attending neurologist at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley and a former multiple sclerosis fellow at the University of Chicago. “There are so many things that you never know until you try. I’ve found that some things, like Cymbalta (duloxetine), might help the pain and give a little energy too, to get out and do more, exercise more.”

Muscle and joint pain in autoimmune disorders is basically due to a "misdirected immune response" in which your immune system attacks your own cells and tissues, such as those in your joints and connective tissues. Both the inflammation caused by the immune response and the destruction of tissue lead to pain. Pain may also be due to your body trying to compensate for weakness or problems with mobility.

Types of Autoimmune-Disorder Joint and Muscle Pain

There are so many different types of pain with autoimmune disorders that you may begin to wish there were more ways to describe your muscle and joint pain. Generally used descriptive terms include:

Chronic pain — ongoing pain (more than three months) that may get worse at times, but is always there. Chronic pain can be dull or throbbing, light or deep in your muscle or joints

Acute pain — pain that comes on suddenly

Stiffness — not so much pain as a feeling of overuse or disuse of muscles and joints

Symmetric or asymmetric pain — in some autoimmune disorders, pain occurs in the same joint on both sides of the body (symmetric) and in some it's only on one side (asymmetric)

Here are some of the more typical experiences of muscle and joint pain among people with autoimmune disorders:

Morning stiffness — autoimmune disorder pain and stiffness often gets better as you move through the day even when you woke up stiff and sore.

Muscle aches — you may experience aching in muscles all over your body.

Joint pain — specific joints can become inflamed and sore; depending on the disorder, pain can occur anywhere from your fingers to your lower back to your feet.

Limited range of motion — when a joint is affected, you may experience sharper pain when you try to use that joint to its fullest extent.

Migratory pain — in some conditions, such as Crohn’s disease, pain moves around to different joints.

Home Management of Pain

Here are some steps that you can take at home to manage your joint pain:

Take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). These non-prescription medications can help ease joint pain. NSAIDs include ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin. You might also take acetaminophen, which is not an NSAID, but can relieve pain.

Get exercise. Even though joint pain and stiffness can slow you down, staying in motion will help prevent additional joint pain. Dr. Shaffer recommends stretching and flexibility exercises in addition to staying as active as you're able.

Take prescription medications as your doctor orders. There are many medications that your doctor can prescribe to help you manage joint pain. But it's important to work with your doctor to find the right medication combination for you. “Even within the same autoimmune disorder, different patients will respond in different ways. A medication that helps one patient may not work at all for you, so you have to keep trying,” says Shaffer. Taking the medications your doctor has prescribed will help you manage your disorder as a whole, which will reduce joint pain and stiffness. Some of the prescription medications you may receive include:

Corticosteroids. These can be taken orally, or your doctor may give you corticosteroid shots directly into your joints to relieve pain and stiffness.

Prescription pain relievers. Your doctor may prescribe stronger pain medications for you to take during flare-ups.

Disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Anti-malarial drugs, developed for the treatment of malaria, an infectious disorder spread by mosquitoes, can be used to help manage joint pain and other symptoms of autoimmune disorders. Other DMARDs include Rheumatrex (methotrexate), Ridaura (oral gold salts) or Solganal (gold by injection), Azulfidine (sulfasalzine), and others.

Biologic therapies. These newer therapies inhibit the body’s immune system and include Enbrel (etanercept) and Remicade (infliximab).

Manage your moods. Managing pain can be tiring and depressing. Interestingly, a recent study of 94 patients with rheumatoid arthritis showed that those who maintained generally positive emotions experienced about 28 percent less pain.

Try alternative therapies. “As long as it’s not dangerous and harmful, I say go for it. Some people have really felt a benefit from alternative treatments,” says Shaffer. Remember to keep your doctors informed about which alternative treatments you want to try — and let the alternative treatment practitioners know about the medications you're taking. Joint pain and stiffness can be eased with alternative therapies such as:

Acupuncture

Massage

Hot and cold treatments

When to Call the Doctor for Joint and Muscle Pain

If you've tried all of the options that usually work, and you're still experiencing joint pain that interferes with sleep, mobility, or quality of life, it’s time to talk to your doctor again. Don’t wait to make the call — you don't have to live with disabling pain.